Leonard Cohen of Romania

eeey · Post by **eeey** » Tue Jun 17, 2003 8:40 am

I was watching the documentary Cirque du Soleil - Fire Within last night on Bravo. This series is about Cirque du Soleil's new production Varekai .

In episode 5/6 the director of the spectacle is looking for a singer to set the mood for the "theme" of Icarus. He chooses a singer from Romania named Adrian Berinde.

In one scene the director is listening to a tape of Adrian singing and he remarks that Berinde sounds like "the Tom Waits of Bucharest". The director's assistant interjects, "That's what you wanted!". The director listens a little longer and says with very little enthusiasm, "The Leonard Cohen of Romania".

The documentary continues to show shots of Adrian Berinde--buying cigarettes--being forced to sing in a range that is too high for his register--smoking like a chimney--eating a great deal--and trying to fit into the Cirque du Soleil aesthetic milieu. Unsuccessfully.

"The Leonard Cohen of Romania" is booted from the show right before the final dress rehearsal.

lizzytysh · Post by **lizzytysh** » Tue Jun 17, 2003 1:19 pm

Hi eeey ~

I've never seen the Cirque du Soleil performances here, so don't know first-hand the nature of them. I've heard they're magnificent, yet by the sounds of it, rather surreal. Leonard and Tom got some "free press" out of it [the director had no choice but to pronounce ~ as opposed to spell ~ their names right], and they were accurately linked to each other. It seems a bit odd that the director would insult real singers like that [the context of the scene sounds like that's what he meant], but for some who may know Tom Waits and not Leonard, they now have a linking to Leonard. Apparently what the assistant thought the director wanted wasn't really what he wanted. How was the guy's voice? Why was he finally rejected? He sounds quite Leonard-like with that depiction. Leonard in a "circus"? Any kind of "circus" ~ that fitting-in thing could be a problem for him, too ~ though his music could be made excellent use of, I would think. I need to see what I've heard so much about to really know.

~ Elizabeth

eeey · Post by **eeey** » Wed Jun 18, 2003 6:56 am

Lizzytysh,

Adrian Berinde has a low register and a great voice. But Cirque du Soliel wanted him to sound "strained". And when Adrian questioned this "effect" as not being natural, the voice coach for Cirque du Soliel insisted on it.

The other problem was that he only met the composer of the music for thirty minutes. So he had no feed-back at all from her during his stay in Montreal. He took his expulsion with good grace...just sort of shrugged his shoulders...and lit another cigarette.

Have any of the Europeans on the board heard of this guy?

lizzytysh · Post by **lizzytysh** » Wed Jun 18, 2003 7:31 am

Have you ever seen Cirque du Soleil, eeey? What would he have been doing had he been accepted, recording the music/singing for some of the aerial stuff? Good for him on the strained bit......at least he held his ground. Seems he had a Leonard-reaction to the whole thing in the end, anyway. They probably let the best guy go.....a shame in that sense. Sounds like an interesting documentary. Did you feel badly for him at the end?

Collin Hendricks · Post by **Collin Hendricks** » Sat Jun 28, 2003 5:12 pm

don't blame berinde for being compared with waits and cohen, it is not his fault, anyways... he is just sharing the same decadent and self distructive perspective upon everything. i have seen him performing in bucharest alongside ada milea and he is charming. his bitter and voluptous sense of humor make him a guy to see again.

lizzytysh · Post by **lizzytysh** » Sat Jun 28, 2003 8:10 pm

Hi collin ~ Welcome to the Forum. I see berinde as being complimented by the comparison, rather than blamed. I also see Leonard as embodying the humour that you've listed for berinde ~ and to be seen as many times as possible, if possible. Though, I'd like to hear more about what you consider to be decadent and self-destructive in Leonard's music, and bitter in his comments.

~ Lizzytysh

Collin Hendricks · Post by **Collin Hendricks** » Sun Jun 29, 2003 10:48 am

self denial. there is nothing more than self denial. someone who sings "born to loose" in such a peaceful manner, as if sitting in a cafe, early evening and watching the girls passing by, smilling... and loosing it all... it is a very delicate and precious image, a moment of grace. no anger, no sadness... some years ago i saw a catalogue in the window of a tatoo shop in hong kong, one of the tattoos read: "born to loose" and i thought, horified, why would anyone choose to have that phrase schratched on the skin? well, there is an answer; i dont't know what it is, but guys like cohen, waits, berinde, inspired by zillions of cigarettes and a couple hundred gallons of whiskey are giving a helping hand.

John the Shorts · Post by **John the Shorts** » Sun Jun 29, 2003 10:48 pm

Shwmae Collin

Welcome to the forum. I hope you come and post often.

I'm not sure whether you are implying that all Leonard & Tom fans are whiskey swigging alcoholics

but let me assue everyone (as a Leonard & Tom fan) that this is not the case (For me, while I like a drop of the Irish, I just can't afford whiskey all the time

)

JTS

Collin Hendricks · Post by **Collin Hendricks** » Tue Jul 01, 2003 10:14 am

Oh, no, Sir, that's no way I'm going to say that. We just got to admitt that the visionary flood of alchool works wonders for some...

c.

lizzytysh · Post by **lizzytysh** » Tue Jul 01, 2003 8:28 pm

Hi Collin ~

Not come morning, it doesn't

.

~ Lizzytysh

buska1 · Post by **buska1** » Wed Aug 20, 2003 4:50 pm

Collin,

Thank god, you're one of the very few creative thinkers of this forum. I like your view of music in this case, but I do not think it is the whiskey or tabacco (it is more a 'sympton' then an ingredient). Maybe for the pitch of the voice it is important.
For me the magic of all the great artists is that they really want and dare to step into their art-work (this counts all the art-forms), in spite of theirself.

Greetings Buska